Harry Potter's Coolest Aunt

Who let the troll out

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!" Percy immediately stands up. " HOLD ON!" She yelled making everyone stop. " Professor Dumbledore,  the Hufflepuffs and Slytherin dorms are in the dungeons and the troll is out there in the castle. It is dangerous...ALL STUDENTS STAY IN THE HALL TILL FURTHER NOTICE. I suggest all teachers follow me and we go hunting for the troll." Dumbledore wanted to argue back but one glare from percy shut him up and made her lead easily.

She whispered to severus something and they all headed out of the hall to hunt for the troll.

Draco joins Ron and Harry who sit near the exit.  "How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs. "Don't ask me, they're supposed to be stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke." Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm in realisation. "I've just thought -- Hermione."

"What about her?" Draco asked,  "She doesn't know about the troll." Ron bit his lip. "Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us." Ducking down, they slipped down a deserted side corridor and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin. Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view. "What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Search me."

Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps. "He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand. "Can you smell something?" Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. And then they heard it -- a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Draco pointed -- at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long. The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room. "The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."

"Good idea," said Ron nervously. They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it. 'Yes! come let's find Mom!!"

Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop -- a high, petrified scream -- and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up. "Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.

"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped. "Hermione!" they all said together. It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside. Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint with another girl from Hufflepuff with her scared. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went. "Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.